Passive Aggressive
Active → Passive:
The media criticised the minister, and he fell from grace.
The minister was criticised by the media and subsequently fell from grace.
Complete:
If the joke hadn’t been offensive, it ______ (not / fall flat).
wouldn’t have fallen flat
This phrasal verb means “stop being friends after an argument.”
fall out (with someone)
If advice is ignored, it has ______.
fallen on deaf ears
This expression means “attracted my attention.”
caught my eye/in sight of/excellent vision
caught my eye
Rewrite with passive:
People say the deal fell through due to corruption.
It is said that the deal fell through due to corruption.
OR
The deal is said to have fallen through due to corruption.
Rephrase using formal tone:
If the company had complied with regulations, it wouldn’t have fallen foul of the law.
Had the company complied with regulations, it wouldn’t have fallen foul of the law.
If a deal doesn’t happen at the last minute, it has ______.
fallen through
Which expression describes someone losing status due to scandal?
fall from grace
As we reached the summit, we were rewarded with a ______.
naked eye/breathtaking view/came into viewbreathtaking view
Transform:
The company ignored the complaints, and the warnings fell on deaf ears.
The complaints were ignored, and the warnings fell on deaf ears.
Correct the mistake:
“If he would have prepared better, he wouldn’t have fallen at the first hurdle.”
If he had prepared better…
This phrasal verb can mean both “break emotionally” and “collapse physically.”
fall apart
Correct or incorrect?
“The startup fell foul of investors after its product failed.”
Incorrect
(It should be “fell foul of regulations/law,” not investors.)
Which expression means “see something briefly or suddenly”?
catch sight of/ unique view/ take a closer look
catch sight of
Advanced passive (modal perfect):
They should have prevented the company from falling into decline.
The company should have been prevented from falling into decline.
Mixed conditional:
If the government hadn’t ignored the warnings, the organisation ______ (not / fall into decline now).
wouldn’t be falling into decline now
OR
wouldn’t be in decline now
If you use something as a last resort, you ______ it.
fall back on
Which expression fits best?
“Many ambitious projects ______ after the first difficulty.”
fall at the first hurdle
Correct the mistake:
“I caught a sight of the mountains from the train.”
I caught sight of the mountains from the train.
Rewrite using a passive reporting structure:
Experts believe the organisation fell victim to cybercrime.
The organisation is believed to have fallen victim to cybercrime.
Create a second conditional sentence using:
fall apart at the seams
If the management team were more competent, the company wouldn’t be falling apart at the seams.
Create a complex sentence using fall short of to describe a company’s performance.
For example:
The company fell short of expectations despite having invested heavily in marketing.
Explain the difference between:
both similar; prey slightly more formal; often used with scams/manipulation.
Explain the difference between: